March 13 is the deadline to register for the 2017 NASSP Advocacy Conference. Register today to be part of the conference in Washington, D.C., April 24-26. Federal advocacy training, discussions about key education legislation, and meetings with your congressional representatives are just some of the informative and engaging programming features of this year’s conference. (more…)

Graduation is something every student should have the opportunity to experience. Aside from the indisputable benefits of a high school diploma, the preparations for graduation—the career action plans, the individualized academic plans, and the conferences—assist students in making choices that are right for them and their future. How do we connect with students to ensure they are on the road to graduation? There is no single answer to this question simply because each student is unique. (more…)

Steve, a veteran math teacher, asked, “Why do we do our learning walks in classrooms that don’t match with our own content area?” With a confused look, I responded, “Because you don’t really teach content, Steve, you teach kids, and kids need transferable skills more than they need content.” (more…)

Making sense of new legislation like ESSA is always difficult. NASSP wants to make it easy for you! The new ESSA Toolkit provides a detailed breakdown of some of the law’s most important provisions for principals. It also makes it easy to find out what your state is doing by providing links to each State Department of Education’s web page. It will also provide many other beneficial pieces, including: (more…)

National Principals Month is finally here! To better understand the role and responsibilities of principals, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is conducting its Principal Shadowing Week from October 24–27. Principal Shadowing Week allows senior staff at ED the chance to learn firsthand from NASSP members. If any members in the Maryland, Virginia, or D.C. area are interested in having an ED staffer shadow them, you can email Zach Scott for more information. (more…)

Guest post by Janice Case, a consultant, certified trainer, and educator with more than 20 years’ experience in public and private school education.

For school leaders and counselors, implementing the Common Core State Standards is not about thinking outside the box. It is about transforming the box itself (NASSP, NAESP, College Summit, Achieve, 2013). Now, more than ever, we’re charged with ensuring that all students are college and career ready when they graduate from high school. So what does it take, exactly, to create a graduating class that is 100 percent college and career ready? The answer: implementing a college-going culture. (more…)